Tenten's Tale
by 2018217
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a fair, fair maiden who lived in a tall, tall tower, somewhere far, far away. For 18 years, she had never set foot outside. But sometimes she would gaze outside the tower's only window, and wonder what the world was like. So she decided to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

This story is dedicated to my friend, who is a fan of Tenten but doesn't know why. Yesterday she found about my account (I wasn't thinking). Now I shall write a stor that shall hopefully entertain her.

And now she will probably kill me for talking about her.

The Tenten Story

The night was dark, and the hearth crackled warmly. In front of the fire sat an old woman. She cleared her throat, preparing to speak. Everyone leaned in closer.

"Once upon a time, there was a fair maiden who lived far, far, away. Yes, she was a _fair_ maiden-she wasn't that pretty but she wasn't ugly either. I guess you could say that she was a bit better than average-looking.

"Oh dear, was I rambling again? Oopsies, that seems to happen to me a lot these days...

"Anyway, she lived far, far away. She lived in the wilderness, in a tall, tall tower hidden among the treetops, where no man would ever venture. She lived in the tower with her mother and her father, who both loved her very much, and who would do anything to make her happy.

"But whenever she asked her parents if she could leave the tower, they always refused her. She would sometimes subtly bring the matter up in conversations, but her parents would shake their heads, pinch her cheeks, look her in the eye and say, 'It's a dangerous world out there. Better you stay inside.' So she did. She eventually stopped asking, but the fair maiden would often perch by the tower's only window, look out at the treetops, and sigh longingly.

"One day, she vowed to herself. One day she would see the world."


	2. Keep on trying 'til you run out of cake

The Old Woman's Story

Disclaimer Version 2.0： I do not own Naruto.

Every 365 days (she'd counted!), around the same time, the maiden's parents would both venture outside the tower at night and come back in the morning with something they called a cake. The outside of the cake would be covered in a sweet substance called frosting, while the inside woud be soft and spongy. Planted on top of the cake would be colorful candles. Each year, the number of candles would increase by one.

That would be the only time of year when both her parents would be gone. The maiden decided that when the cake had reahed eighteen candles, she would quietly slip out of the tower and return the next morning, before her parents returned. Just for the night. It would be harmless, she thought. Just one night.

Soon, her chance came. In the morning, her parents sat down with her at breakfast (berries and roots that her parents had scavenged from the base of the tower) and told her that they'd be gone for the night. Just one night.

She kept her expression blank at first, but then realized that she should be happy (because she was getting a CAKE, of course!). The maiden forced a smile on her face. "Okay! Just one night, right? You'll be back with my cake?"

Her parents smiled at their daughter. Such a sweet, innocent little girl, untouched by the evils of outside!

Not for long. Once her parents were out of sight from the tower, the maiden suddenly awoke from a fake sleep, rose from her bed, and descended down the long flight of stairs. Her feet touched the ground floor. She silently opened the stone door.


	3. Outside

Disclaimer Version 3.0: I do not own Naruto.

The fair maiden felt the soft ground beneath her bare feet. Her toes kneaded the dirt rhythmically. She breathed in the cool night air. She knew that she was taking in the same air on the ground and on the tower, but somehow, this seemed...better. Fresher. More free.

She turned her eyes downward, and saw her parents' footprints, heading west. Unlike her, they were wearing shoes. The maiden felt a strange sensation inside herself. Some sort of happy, giddy feeling.

Euphoria. That was the word. It made her want to cry and laugh and dance at the same time.

Now she turned to the east. Perfect, she thought. When the sun peeked up over the horizon, she would turn tail and immediately head home. She'd wash her feet and hide her clothes, and then climb back into bed. Hopefully she would fall asleep. Even if she stayed awake, though, she could blame the dark circles under her eyes to the excitement she felt (because it was her 18th birthday, of course!).

The fair maiden hitched up the edges of her dress (she'd purposely chosen her oldest, dirtiest one) and started running. Then she started skipping. Then spinning in circles. Cartwheeling. Somersaulting. Kicking her knees up in the air and shouting "HA!" to the treetops, as if they could hear her. Sometimes she would just stop and stare at the big round moon and giggle with glee.

The maiden found a stream. It interested her; she'd never seen one before. She dipped her toes into the cold running water and stared at her own quizzical reflection. Brown hair, brown eyes, pale lips, pinkish skin. Her cheeks were pushing up against her eyes, giving her face a happy expression. Her eyebrows knitted together. "Do I really look like that?" she wondered aloud, still looking at herself.

A dark shape appeared behind her. "Yes, you do."

Something pushed her forward into the dark water, and all the maiden saw were the blank eyes of a fish before it twisted its body around and darted away into the murky blackness.


End file.
